Good Night @ VRC

Psalm 25:8-9
The Lord is good and does what is right. he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His ways.

I know we live in an age of hype, where everyone wants to put their best face forward. To proclaim that what ever meeting they attended was the "Greatest one every held!" We see churches proclaim that they are changing the world....that God has kind of endorsed their meeting above others. While I don't discount what God is doing in any meeting, I do have trouble with the idea and concept that such needs to be shouted from the roof tops. As Leonard Ravenhill ( if you aren't familiar with Leonard, you need to go on line to Youtube and look up some of his messages) use to say...."If God is in your meeting, you don't have to advertise it, people will know. If a building is actually on fire, people will come from miles around to see what is going on. If the Holy Spirit is lighting a fire in your church, you won't have to advertise it . People will begin to show up to see what is going on." This is a truth I have held to for twenty years. I have seen, and continue to see the proof of that statement. If God is moving in your service......If lives are being touched and changed by the Holy Spirit....word of mouth will flood out into your community and people will come to see what is going on. One of the great enigmas of the church is the idea that only large groups are the recipient of a move of God's Holy Spirit. As far as I can tell, it only requires hearts that are hungry for God's presence and people who are open to receive for the Holy Spirit to move.

Last night we saw such a move.
The crowd was smaller than usually......15 were present.
But within the 15 were hearts that were desperate to meet with God.
First song in the worship set was a tune we usually play as the benediction for our service.
Ed Ratezloff's "JESUS LOVES YOU". 

"Keep on truckin' down that highway...

Put some miles on your shoes.....

And just remember

One little thing....

Jesus Loves You"

People were up out of their seats, moving about the room greeting one another. Hugs, handshake's and back slaps all around. Laughter and smiles as they sang and moved from person to person. "Glad you're here---how's your week been?" 

We moved into an original song, "TWELVE STEPS TO HEAVEN", which ends with the old hymn...."WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS.

"Twelve steps, taking them one at a time....
Twelve steps, moving me, keeping me in line...
And I know it's the power of Almighty God..
That gives me the grace to say...
"Thank you Lord for saving me...
Heaven's twelves steps away."

Next song was Glenn Kaiser's "LAY MY BURDENS DOWN".

  "Glory, Glory.....Hallelujah....

As I lay my burdens down'''

Going to heaven...

To be with Jesus....

Gonna lay my burdens down.."

As the song progressed, I felt the Holy Spirit say, "Invite everyone to come down front and lay those burdens down." I did. People flooded the front, most of them reaching for the rock that we have on the stage, as a kind of touch point to pray from. Burdens were released, and you could feel the room grow lighter (Spiritually) as folks got up from the front and moved back to their chairs. God was on the move and people had responded.  I guess you could say that God had showed up and primed the pump for the word to be taught.

Last song was another original: "I FALL DOWN".

"I fall down......upon Your mercy...
I fall down....upon Your grace...
I fall down.....on Your compassion

I worship You....

By Your amazing grace."

At the end of the message, as ministry began, I knew that someone was going to be saved. Sure enough, a first timer, a young man, stood to acknowledge the mess he'd made of his life. The ministry team moved up and prayed with him, as others acknowledged their need for Christ also. This was payday for me. To see people respond to the move of God's Holy Spirit is why we meet every Saturday night. I want VRC to be a place where those who've never felt a move of God...never felt that Holy Spirit come with conviction and life, can experience such a thing for themselves. 

As I have written many times before, if you've read this blog for any length of time....

"Boy, God!! How are you going to top what happened tonight?"  And the funny part in saying this for as many years as I have.....He always does top it. But He's that kind of God isn't He?
I think maybe yes, He is.

God on you...

mbb